Can Your Pets Get High From A Whiff of Weed?

All stoners are well aware of the fact that lighting up a spliff, whatever the time or occasion is, comes with secondhand cannabis smoke. Marijuana may produce pleasurable effects in people, but what about pets? Can your cat, rat, dog or bird get high from the smoke of a blunt and how does it affect their health?

Pot that makes humans high makes pets sick

For pets, the mind-altering substance can be dangerous and even lethal. In 2019, the American Veterinary Medical Association issued a concern to Vets that they are seeing pets come in with respiratory problems and serious illness, due to people smoking inside and pets inhaling the smoke.

Because humans are much bigger and heavier than household pets, an average-sized person will not be affected by a whiff of smoke. It’s a different story for pets, however. Their smaller size makes them a lot more sensitive to cannabis, making it possible for pets to get high if there’s a lot of secondhand smoke hanging around.

What’s more, THC – the chemical that gives marijuana its high – is toxic to pets. It can cause vomiting, mild incontinence, in-coordination, depression, sleepiness or excitation, low blood pressure, low body temperature and seizures.

Now you know that any marijuana product that contains THC is dangerous to your four-legged friends and should be kept well out of reach.

CBD is an option for all

On the other hand, one of the most powerful therapeutic substances ever to have come out of the marijuana plant is Cannabidiol, abbreviated as CBD. The list of benefits is ever-growing, but CBD isn’t only popular in the health and wellness industry. Many pet owners are turning to the magical herb to treat their furry friends, but is it safe and does it offer any health benefits?

Analysts now predict the CBD pet care market will reach $125 million by 2022, making it one of the fastest-growing segments of the CBD market. Even household names like Martha Stewart are riding the weed wave, with a line of CBD product for pets.

CBD pet care products come in the form of oils, edibles and topical creams or balms. Like the CBD products meant for humans, each of these CBD pet care product types appears to have a different effect on the body.

As for healthcare, a 2018 study found that CBD can help increase comfort and activity in pets suffering from osteoarthritis. Other studies claim CBD may help reduce the number of seizures experienced by epileptic dogs.

The various studies that have been conducted haven’t found anything super alarming about CBD for pets, but on the flip side, we still know very little about it. It’s therefore really important for pet parents to know this and use CBD with caution until there’s more information available.